Willard climate

Willard Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Springfield, 8.1 km from Willard, elevation 1278 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Springfield. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 9 and the first fall freeze around October 27, a growing season of about 199 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 22, first October 18
Median at 32°F
last April 9, first October 27
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 4

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 6May 2Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 10Apr 4
32°FApr 27Apr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26
28°FApr 14Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 24Mar 20Mar 13
24°FApr 4Mar 31Mar 26Mar 23Mar 19Mar 16Mar 12Mar 7Mar 1
20°FMar 24Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 23Feb 18
16°FMar 17Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 27Feb 22Feb 17Feb 11Feb 2

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 4Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 23Oct 25Oct 29
32°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
28°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 20
24°FOct 31Nov 4Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19Nov 23Nov 28Dec 3
20°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 15
16°FNov 19Nov 25Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 12Dec 16Dec 21Dec 28

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F198192187181178173169164155
32°F219212207203199196192186179
28°F242234229224219216211206200
24°F266257250246241237232226217
20°F288279273268263259254248240
16°F314304298292286280274267258

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
4,277
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,540
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,042
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,653
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,408
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,307
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,352

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January953011
February736126
March546599
April26727249
May86116496
June6302747
July0440905
August1410874
September39196608
October23840296
November550380
December856018

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 8.1 km from Willard. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USW00013995 (Springfield). Public domain.